Talk about timing.
Debbie Reynolds Michaud and her group may well have been among the 22,000 taking in the Route 91 Harvest festival along the Las Vegas Strip Sunday night when a gunman opened fire on the crowd from a nearby hotel, killing at least 58 and injuring more than 500.
But the show was sold out when they sought tickets. That fact may have saved the Sault Ste. Marie native’s life, as well as those of her husband, daughter and friend.
“We were very disappointed when we learned (the show) was sold out,” Reynolds Michaud told The Sault Star Monday via e-mail from Las Vegas. “There were many artists I wanted to see. We are so thankful we did not go.”
Indeed.
At least two Canadians are among the dead and six others were injured in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
Reynolds Michaud, her husband, Bill Michaud, and their friend, Rhonda Konrad, went to Vegas to ring in daughter Alicia Bottlee’s 21st birthday. The group made other plans after their failed bid to get into the concert.
They were on Fremont Street just after 10:30 p.m., preparing to take a bus back to their Paris Hotel, located about two kilometres north of the Mandalay Bay Resort where the shooting took place, when they first learned of the tragedy.
There was security at the bus stop and the group was told of the tragedy by fellow passengers.
“And bus officials met us at stops along the way to let us know we might not get through due to an incident at the Mandalay Bay,” Reynolds Michaud said.
Once the bus stopped at the end of the Strip, passengers were informed there would be no more buses, so Reynolds Michaud and the others decided to walk to their hotel. Along the way they spotted many emergency vehicles and encountered people who were “speculating about other hotels being at risk and reporting gunfire.”
“People kept saying we should run or get inside,” Reynolds Michaud said. “We stayed in some bushes for a long time, then decided to try to walk to get closer to our hotel.”
But police were ordering everyone to get inside. Reynolds Michaud’s party was invited inside the Bellagio resort and told, “We would have to stay until everything was clear.”
There, they and others were placed on lock-down for at least four hours, housed in the resort’s ballroom. They remained until 4:30 a.m.
“They were very kind at the Bellagio,” Reynolds Michaud said. “They gave us water, pillows, blankets and towels. When we were permitted to leave the Strip, it was void of people with a very heavy police presence.”
Details were scarce early on and there were fears of a mass attack, involving more shooters at other locations.
“We were concerned about something that was bigger than one shooter,” Reynolds Michaud said.
“There were police at every hotel and emergency vehicles going in every direction. I did not assume it was terrorist related.”
The gunman has been identified as Stephen Craig Paddock, a 64-year-old retiree from Mesquite, Nev. Officials say he had as many as 10 guns with him, including rifles. It’s believed he later took his own life. When asked about a motive, Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said, "I can't get into the mind of a psychopath at this point."
Reynolds Michaud and her group planned to “lay low” Monday in their room, “not get separated,” and order from room service.
They planned to fly home Tuesday to Sioux Lookout, Ont., where Reynolds Michaud works as a supervisor at Tikinagan Child & Family Services.
“We were very impressed with the hotel staff, security, police,” she said. “The response of the city was incredible.”
Reynolds Michaud and the others haven’t spoken to anyone who was present at the shooting. They are keeping a close eye on how things unfold and admit nerve endings remain a bit raw.
“Yes, we have some anxiety, for sure,” Reynolds Michaud said. “We were so scared not knowing what was going on.”
jougler@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @JeffreyOugler